VAR overturns late Burnley goal as Callum Hudson-Odoi stunner saves a draw for Nottingham Forest.
Burnley were controversially denied a late victory by VAR as Callum Hudson-Odoi struck a remarkable second-half equalizer to help Nottingham Forest salvage a 1-1 draw at the City Ground in the Premier League.
Nearly three weeks after scoring the solitary goal in a 1-0 away win over Forest in the EFL Cup second round, Zeki Amdouni frightened the hosts once more, opening the scoring just before halftime with a lovely left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
However, Forest regained parity shortly after the hour mark when debutant Hudson-Odoi – who came from Chelsea on deadline day – fired a magnificent right-footed drive into the top corner.
VAR overturns late Burnley goal as Callum Hudson-Odoi stunner saves a draw for Nottingham Forest
After Sander Berge was adjudged to have deliberately touched the ball with his left arm before setting up the Clarets striker, VAR intervened to disallow a 76th-minute goal from Lyle Foster, who was later sent off for a petulant elbow into the chest of Ryan Yates before both teams eventually settled for a share of the spoils.
A point for Steve Cooper’s side moves them up to ninth in the Premier League rankings, while Vincent Kompany’s men remain in the relegation zone and have yet to win in the top division since gaining promotion last season.
There was nothing to differentiate the two teams in terms of possession, but Forest were undoubtedly asking more questions in the final third throughout the first 25 minutes, with Hudson-Odoi, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Morgan Gibbs-White in particular looking a continuous threat on the counter-attack.
AMDOUNI 🏹
Burnley take the lead at The City Ground! pic.twitter.com/WkVMjojm0m
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 18, 2023
Burnley, on the other hand, gradually grew into the game and came close to scoring after 28 minutes when Amdouni found space on the outskirts of the box and struck a low-driven shot towards the bottom corner, only for Matt Turner to make an incredible diving save to his right.
Amdouni, on the other hand, had no trouble finding the same corner four minutes before the interval, blasting a beautiful left-footed finish hard and low into the net after a bursting run and superb cutback from the byline by energetic teenager Luca Kolesoho.
Burnley resumed play after the break and were on the verge of adding a second when Charlie Taylor sent a shot barely wide from a corner.
"WHAT A WAY TO ANNOUNCE YOURSELF TO THE CITY GROUND CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI" ☄️ pic.twitter.com/MSXVLEvJur
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 18, 2023
Forest lacked a cutting edge in the final third until Hudson-Odoi produced a moment of magic in the 61st minute, shifting the ball inside from the left and curling a wonderful strike in off the right-hand post to restore parity – his first Premier League goal in nearly two years.
Burnley believed they had recovered the lead 15 minutes later when substitute Berge drove into the penalty area and set up Foster for a simple tap-in from close range, but on-field referee Robert Jones disallowed the goal for a controversial handball after a VAR review.
GOAL RULED OUT! ✖️
Lyle Foster's goal is chalked off after a VAR check on a handball from Sander Berge! pic.twitter.com/4woasDHmxP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 18, 2023
Foster’s night became even worse when he was sent off in second-half stoppage time for a reckless elbow into Yates’ chest during a tussle inside the penalty area during a set-piece, and Burnley had to settle for a draw at the City Ground.
Forest will now turn their attention to facing reigning champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, while Burnley will seek their first win of the season when they host an out-of-sorts Manchester United team at Turf Moor.
